Understanding Long Island – Public -Health and Welfare Council of Long Island (HWCLI)

Counties Served

Click the Map

Suffolk County, NY

Suffolk County is a predominantly suburban county on Long Island and the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the county’s population was 1,525,920, making it the fourth-most populous county in New York. Its county seat is Riverhead, though most county offices are in Hauppauge. The county was named after the county of Suffolk in England, from where its earliest European settlers came.

POPULATION1.53M

MEDIAN AGE41.7

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME$105362

POVERTY RATE6.46%

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS496K

MEDIAN PROPERTY VALUE$413,900

Learn More

Nassau County, NY

Nassau County is a predominantly suburban county on Long Island, bordering New York City to the west. As of the 2020 census, the county’s population was 1,395,774, making it the sixth-most populous county in New York. Its county seat is Mineola, and its largest town is Hempstead. The county was named after the German town of Nassau.

POPULATION1.4M

MEDIAN AGE41.9

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME$120,036

POVERTY RATE5.4%

NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS450K

MEDIAN PROPERTY VALUE$524,400

Learn More

Understanding Long Island

Challenges of Suburban Poverty

Long Island was built as America’s first suburb, envisioned as a land of opportunity, accessibility, and upward mobility for an expanding middle class. HWCLI is committed to ensuring that this dream is available to all of our neighbors, across every zip code and every town. Ours is often perceived as an affluent region. However, studies show that poverty here is complex, nuanced issue affecting more of our neighbors than meets the eye.
The poverty rate on Long Island is approximately 5.9%, an average of the 5.41% poverty rate in Nassau County and 6.5% poverty rate in Suffolk County, with approximately 166,000 people living below the national poverty line - but even this staggering statistic does not tell the whole story. There are additional households on Long Island with incomes above the national poverty level that fall below the budget calculated to account for basic needs here.

Established in 1947, the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island (HWCLI) is a regional, nonprofit umbrella organization for health and human service providers dedicated to improving the lives of Long Island’s most vulnerable residents by responding to their needs through the promotion and development of public policies and direct services.

Quick Links

110 Walt Whitman Road, Suite 101, Huntington Station, NY 11746

Phone: 516-483-1110

Fax: 516-483-4794

E-mail: connect@hwcli.com

Tweets by HWCLI